Ambulance stretcher



B. MONK 2,033,779

AMBULANCE STRETCHER I Filed Dec. 7, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 B. MONK I 2,033,779

AMBULANCE STRETCHER Filed Dec. '7, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 10, 1936. 5 MONK AMBULANCE STRETCHER Filed Dec. 7, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Mar. 10, 1936 I F FI-C E s'zrnsronnn (Basil emyaon; England, 'assianor to Tor v i Equipment Company Lim ted, croydoming ands zliri hcn nany Application lleceniher 7, 19%, 'No. 353,437

InflreafBr-itain April 151934 r I I 11' claims.

invention relates to ambulaneestretchers, and the object of the invention is to provide means to! supporting "a "patient on a streteher or conventionaldesi'gnin such a way as'to permit a loaded stretcherto betiltedin'amrfdireqtion'thus "enabling a stretcher with a patientithereon to be carried otherwise than in the "normal horizontal position and to bejpassed through constricted passages or otherspfaces.

To 1 Theinventioirprovides thecombinationwith'an ambulance stretcher comprising side poles and a canvas ojrother bed,"oi auxiliarymeansfor supporting a patient thereon comprising a plurality sr flexible members; for example'straps orthejlike,

'5 or a flexible cover, or a combination ocf bothjlodated by "one of the stretcher IJOIES adapted to bridge from o'nepole "to the "otherjovejr the pati'eri-t s -body and thereby to permit thefstretcher when loaded to tilt or to 'bertilted sidewis'eaml/ or 9 iendwise' while at' the "same time the patient is adequately supported.

The invention also includes an attachment "for an ambulance stretcher, eomprisingforexample a; ear which is of a lengthponipamable with that ft) the stretcher "polesand which {is profidedy'vith ineans for locating the bar alongside' one of the poles and anchoring it to said pole atintervals therealong", said locating-means comprising "a mnriberof clips on the bar which" are spjacedepart 3o lengthwise "thereof and by which the-Ebar' 'mayfbe readily attached-t0 the-pole, and 'a plurality'of fiex ible members arranged to provide a means or supporting a patient on the stretcher substanitiall'yin the mehnerhereinafter-described so asto permit the stretcherwhen loaded to'betiltedmr to be carried otherwise than in the normal tel-position.

The inventionffurther includes features which :are concerned with "constructional details and 'whidhwill-be tally described hereinaiter andspecificallly pointed out in'the appendedclaims.

One constructional form of the "invention applied to an ambulance stretcher "of conventional design will now be-described, by way of example,

pitswith referenee the aecompanying'drawings in which':- I "figure I is a plan-of an attaclnnent "according tO the' iniienEion. v

Eigure z isa transversesection'on the-iine2;

50 oiFigure drawn to aflargerscale.

ease det'ail plan, drawn tethesapre scale as Figure 2 of a part of the attachment.

- Eig'u're 4 1s "a,=d\'ata'il view showing one of the clips read-y to be mounted on one of the stretcher 9 a zpole's;

Figure'fi is a pefspective view showing a patient supported-ode, stretcher, and

'Fig'me dis a perspective View showing the attaflinient removed from the stretcher and'lfolded up for transport. 5

[like reference numerals indicate like parts throughout. 7 The stretcher, which'is shown in 'ch'ainlines on the drawings 'comprises :the usual side poles I11, l-f which are square in cross-section, except at 10 the' ends where they are shaped to 'form handles 'forfcarrying purposes, and legs 12, the legs at seemed of the stretcher being connected by a i oldable'b'ar 31110 permit the stretcher to be collapsed. The poles-are also'iconnected bya canvas The :attaelnnent which provided, according to the invention; ltor the purpose "described is a comprising a rigid-circular bar 1 5 of alength abotit eqilall to that of thestrietcher'bed. Mount- =20 ed bar-at intervals :are three substantially -sl.. -shaped.metal clips J26, 4.7, 118. These clipsare mounted :on'the pole 5| 0 and are arranged so that wheniso' inoiinted the vertical limbs of the clips will rlie' against the'outerlface of the pole and the 525 ihorizontal iimbs will bear against the underside of the mole." The upper end of the vertical limb of :each :clip is bent inwardly and then outwardly to :provide art-eye H! in which the bar I5 is received, zandtheinner-endof the horizontallimb is bent 30 npwardlyraszshowniat '20 to prevent the clips from being acoidentallyedetached'fromthe-pole. Three strapslj; '22, '23 are riveted each at one endto the-undersideof the horizontal limbs of the clips 'zzhnawm lb'e adjacent to the body of a patient on the stretoher, and the clip I8 is so positioned that' thestrap'flwillbe :adjacentto the feet of the patient. The'f strap is provided with a loop '28 to receive the patients feet.

Aflexible cover 1%, ior example made of canvas is provided forthe patient and is arranged so as *pemiit it to be scuredcloselyover the patient -byfthe straps'i "For' this purpose the cover is hemmedalong one longitudinal margin to pro- 5 vide a pocket 30 in which the rigid bar I5 is received. The eyes IQ of the clips are positioned in recesses 3|, see especially Figure 3, in said margin of the cover. The recesses 3! are of such a length that the ends thereof will serve to prevent any substantial movement of the clips l6, l1, l8 along the bar [5 should the eyes l9 be loose on said bar. One end of the pocket 33 is permanently closed and the other end is arranged to be closed by a flap 32, a press button fastener 33 being prov vided for holding the flap in closed position. The

longitudinal margin of the cover opposite to that provided with the pocket 38 is also hemmed to provide a pocket 34 in which a stiffener in the form of a circular metal bar 35 is received. One end of this pocket is also permanently closed, and the other end is arranged to be closed by a flap 36 in a similar manner to that described with reference to the pocket 30. If for any reason it is desired to remove the stifi'ener bar 35 from the pocket 34, say to permit that side ofthe cover to be folded up to suit the convenience of a patient, said bar can be inserted in the pocket 30 which is made large enough for this purpose, thus preventing the bar 35 from being mislaid.

The cover 29 is provided with a number of guide loops for the straps arranged to permit the straps to be fastened in a taut condition across the patient in different directions at will. In the construction shown on the drawings these guide loops are arranged in three rows longitudinally of the cover, namely, one side row consisting of three loops 31, 38, 39, an intermediate row consisting of loops 40, 4| and another side row consisting of loops 42, 43, 44.

A rest 45 of substantially U-shape in cross section is provided for the head of the patient. This head-rest is detachably mounted on the bed of the stretcher by means of a strap 46 which is attached at one end to one side of the head-rest and is of a length sufficient to permit it to be passed under the stretcher and around the pole at the other side of the head-rest. The strap 46 is provided at this end with a buckle 41 whereby it can be connected to a short strap 48 which is fixed intermediate of its ends to the head-rest and carries at its other end a buckle 49. A band 50 is attached to the same side of the head-rest as the strap 46 and is adapted to be drawn taut across the patients forehead and to be connected to the buckle 49 to hold the patients head in position on the head-rest. It will be appreciated that the U-shaped head-rest will provide support for the patients head when the stretcher is tilted sidewise in either direction and that the band will support the head when the stretcher is upended. By unfastening the band 50 from the short strap 48, the patient can be removed without detaching the head-rest from the stretcher.

Figure 5 shows one way of fastening the straps so as to hold a patient on the stretcher and provide adequate support for him in whichever direction the stretcher may be tilted. In this arrangement, the cover 29 is first drawn closely over the patient. The strap 22 is then passed under the stretcher, around the pole H, and obliquely across the patient through the loops 43 and and finally is drawn taut and secured to the buckle 25. The strap 2| is similarly passed under the stretcher, round said pole, and through the loops 42 and 40, and is secured in a taut condition to the buckle 26. The foot strap 23 is passed under the stretcher, around the pole H through the loop 44 over the patients feet so that they lie in the loop 28, through the loop 39 and is then drawn taut and attached to the buckle 21. As the buckles 25, 26, 21 are movable around the rings 24 the straps can be fastened obliquely across the patient without any appreciable twisting. If the patient is wearing shoes, the heels thereof will serve to position the strap and prevent it from slipping downwardly, while the inner branch of the loop 28 will prevent the patient from drawing his feet upwardly away from the outer branch of that loop. A stretcher with a patient held thereon in this manner can be tilted sidewise or upended in either direction without any discomfort to the patient and without any risk of the patient slipping ofi the stretcher even if it is turned into a vertical position. The clip l8 will usually be situated only a short distance from the legs and foldable cross bar l3 at the foot end of the stretcher, and they will serve to prevent any substantial slipping of the attachment downwardly when the stretcher is upended feet downwards. Usually, if it is necessary to upend the stretcher, the patient will be'carried or lowered feet downwards but if exceptional circumstances arise he can even be carried or lowered head downwards without risk of slipping off the stretcher.

If it is desired to transport the attachment, it is only necessary to remove the clips l6, l1, Hi from the pole l0, which can easily be effected as no fastening means is necessary for these clips, and then to roll up the cover in said clips. When thus rolled up the cover can be held therein by means of the straps 2|, 22 and 23 as shown in Figure 6.

The invention is not restricted to the specific constructional details described and shown on the drawings, as many modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention, nor to the particular manner of fastening the straps as that may be determined by the patients injuries, wounds or other factors.

I claim:--- 7 1. An attachment for an ambulance stretcher having side poles and a bed, comprising a bar of substantially the same length as the bed of the stretcher, a number of clips on said bar for attachment to one of the stretcher poles, and a number of flexible members and fasteners therefor, each clip having a flexible member and a fastener anchored thereto, which flexible members are of a length sufficient to permit each to be passed under the stretcher bed around the other pole and backwardly over a patient on the stretcher and then to be secured to one of the fasteners. I

2. An attachment for an ambulance stretcher having side poles and a bed, comprising as a unit a bar of substantially the same length as the bed of the stretcher, a number of clips on said bar for attachment to one of the stretcher poles, at

number of body straps and buckles therefor, each clip having a strap and a buckle anchored thereto, which straps are of a length sufiicient to permit each to be passed under the stretcher bed around the other pole and backwardly over a patient on the stretcher and then to be fastened to one of the buckles, and a foot strap positioned along the stretcher so that it will be adjacent to the feet of a patient thereon, which foot strap is provided with a loop to receive the patients 3. The combination with an ambulance stretcher comprising side poles, of a strap-carrier in the form of a bar means for connecting the bar to one of the stretcher poles, a plurality of straps anchored to the strap-carrier and situated at intervals along said carrier and adapted to extend across the bed of the stretcher from pole to pole and to be secured in a taut condition to enable the stretcher to be tilted while still afiording adequate support for a patient thereon, and a cover for the patient carried by said bar.

4. An attachment for an ambulance stretcher having side poles and a bed, comprising as a unit a bar of substantially the same length as the bed, a number of clips on said bar for attachment to one of the stretcher poles, a buckle attached to each clip, a cover for the patient provided along one longitudinal margin with a pocket in which said bar is received, and a number of straps attached to said clips; which straps are of a length suiiicient to permit each to bepassed under the stretcher bed, around the other pole and backwardly over the cover when the latter is drawn closely over the patient and then to be fastened to one of the buckles so as to hold the cover in position on the patient and the latter on the stretcher when it is carried otherwise than in the normal horizontal position.

5. An attachment for an ambulance stretcher as claimed in claim 4, wherein recesses are provided in said longitudinal margin of the cover to receive the clips aforesaid, the ends of which recesses serve to prevent any substantial movement of the clips along the bar.

6; An attachment for an ambulance stretcher having side poles and a bed, comprising as a unit a bar of substantially the same length as the bed of the stretcher, a number of clips on said bar for attachment to one of the stretcher poles, a number of straps and buckles therefor for bolding a patient on the stretcher when the latter is tilted, each clip having a strap and a buckle anchored thereto, and a flexible cover for the patient, which cover is mounted-along one of its longitudinal margins on the said bar and is provided with a stifiener along its other longitudinal margin.

7. An attachment for an ambulance stretcher having side poles and a bed, comprising as a unit a bar of substantially the same length as the bed of the stretcher, a number of clips on said bar for attachment to one of the stretcher poles, a

number of straps and buckles therefor for holding a patient on the stretcher when the latter is tilted, each clip having a strap and a buckle anchored thereto, a flexible cover for the patient, which cover has along one longitudinal margin a pocket in which said bar is received and along its other longitudinal margin a second pocket, and a removable stiffener in said second pocket, the pocket in which said bar is received being large enough to accommodate also said removable stiffener when the latter is not required for use as a stifiener.

8. An attachment for an ambulance stretcher comprising as a unit a bar to extend lengthwise along one of the stretcher poles, a number of clips on said bar for connecting it to said pole, a number of straps and buckles therefor for holding a patient on the stretcher when the latter is tilted, each clip having a strap and a buckle anchored thereto, and a cover for the patient having on the outside a number of guide loops for the straps arranged to permit the straps to be fastened in a taut condition across the patient in different directions at will.

9. For an ambulance stretcher comprising side poles and a flexible bed connecting them, an attachment comprising a bar of substantially the same length as the bed of the stretcher, a number of clips on said bar for attachment to one of the stretcher poles, a flexible cover for the patient and a number of straps for holding the cover in position on the patient and the patient on the stretcher when the latter is tilted, which clips are adapted when detached from the stretcher to accommodate the cover when rolled up and. in which clips the rolled-up cover can be held by the straps.

10. An attachment for an ambulance stretcher comprising a bar which is of a length comparable with that of the stretcher poles and which is provided with means for locating the bar alongside one of the poles and anchoring it to the said pole at intervals therealong, said locating means comprising a number of clips on the bar which are spaced apart lengthwise thereof and by which the bar may be readily attached to the pole, and a plurality of flexible members attached to the clips and arranged to provide a means of supporting a patient on the stretcher so as to permit the stretcher when loaded to be tilted, or to be carried otherwise than in the normal horizontal position.

11. An attachment for an ambulance stretcher comprising a bar which is of a length comparable with that of the stretcher poles and which is provided with means for locating the bar alongside one of the poles and anchoring it to the said poleat intervals therealong, said locating means comprising a number of clips on the bar which are spaced apart lengthwise thereof and by which the bar may be readily attached to the pole, a plurality of flexible members attached to the clips and arranged to provide a means of supporting a patient on the stretcher so as to permit the stretcher when loaded to be tilted, or to be carried otherwise than in the normal horizontal position, and a cover for the patient mounted on the bar along one longitudinal margin thereof and arranged to permit it to be secured over the patient by the flexible members.

BASIL MONK. 

